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The Joy Trip Project

Reporting on the Business, Art and Culture of the Active Lifestyle

“You can gain more friends by being yourself than you can by putting up a front. You can gain more friends by building people up than you can by tearing them down. And you can gain more friends by taking a few minutes from each day to do something kind for someone, whether it be a friend or a complete stranger. What a difference one person can make!”
Sasha Azevedo ~ American Actress, Athlete and Model (1978- )
Photograph by Christopher J. Carter...

Madison, WI 5:30 CST
Dane County Regional Airport, Gate 12
En route to Banff, Alberta Canada by way of Chicago, Seattle, Calgary I love to travel. I’m heading west today to cover the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Five days of adventure movies, literature and lectures in the Canadian Rockies. Who could ask for more?
The bustle of airports and long car rides suit me like a second skin. Aside from paying $15 for a checked bag that used to be free and the preflight strip search, the only thing that inevitably gets me a bit crazed is the anxiety I feel when I’m packing. I’m always afraid that I’ve forgotten something, a mission critical document, piece of clothing or equipment whose absence will spoil the flavor of my Joy Trip.

"Here is a classic example of observing wildlife and learning their behaviors. In Yellowstone I would often see coyotes hunting voles in the fields. Each one would have a different stalk, approach and leaping technique. After watching, I could learn their behavior and anticipate when they would get ready to pounce. It was amazing the success rate they had."
This photograph and advice from Chris Gibbs...

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.”
August Wilson ~ American playwright. His literary legacy is the ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Each is set in a different decade, depicting the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the twentieth century. (1945 – October 2,...

In the world of social media I have no fans, only friends. I’m very fortunate that a few hundred people follow my work on the Joy Trip Project. Most are strangers, but that’s only because we haven’t met yet. Everyone is a friend.
So when Joel Knutson messaged me by Facebook I was more than happy to meet him for coffee. My work would suffocate in a vacuum of isolation. Conversations with even the most causal acquaintance can often lead to profound revelations. This was no exception.